


In Your Arms

by afangirlsplaylist



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Implied Feelings, M/M, rhink friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-22 22:57:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10706907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afangirlsplaylist/pseuds/afangirlsplaylist
Summary: Three times Rhett and Link fell asleep together and two times they pretended to. Written for Tropetastic Tuesday.





	In Your Arms

One: _A late night in the studio_

* * *

They didn’t remember falling asleep. They had worked until dawn was peeking through the small window at the top of their office, and neither of them could recall when their worlds had gone fuzzy and their eyes had fallen shut. All they remember is waking up on the office couch, curled up in a tight ball of long, warm bodies. Link woke up first, feeling thankful when he saw his laptop had found its way to a safe spot on the carpet below him. Judging from the way his friend’s arm was stretched out towards the floor he suspected Rhett was responsible for that, and the thought made him feel comforted for some reason. He opened his eyes a little wider as they adjusted to the light and found that Rhett’s other arm had somehow snaked its way around his waist, likely to accommodate for the lack of room there was for it to fall anywhere else. Part of Link knew he should probably lift Rhett’s arm up and slip away, but he felt surprisingly safe in his friend’s gentle grip. So he settled back in, wriggling down the couch and closing his eyes again. 

They didn’t mention it when they woke again later.

* * *

Two: _Dirty 30_

* * *

Shooting the spooning scene of Dirty 30 felt like sharing something deeply personal, and they were understandably nervous as they lay down on the couch and prepared to shoot. It was something they’d shared only with each other in the darkness of hotel rooms - when Link would get mobile and cuddly in the dead of night, or with a few select friends on trips in their youth. So they felt the need to tell the room, loudly and clearly, that they had never done this before. Not the spooning, they needn’t know they’d done that plenty of times. But sharing the raw, intimacy of it with a room full of crew members and actors. That they had definitely never done before. 

They stayed cuddled up on the couch for several seconds after the cut was called, just briefly enough to avoid being questioned but long enough to let each other know it was purposeful. Link opened one eye at the call of ‘cut!’ and turned to grin at Rhett, still holding his hand as they held each other’s gaze for a moment. It was ironic, after all the fear, that they felt it was almost a shame when they had to get back up again. 

* * *

Three: _Buddy System_

* * *

They talked for hours about the writing but they didn’t talk at length about _those_ scenes. The scenes that would have them closer than was comfortable on a set again. It was natural, since they were living like roommates in the house, that the closeness would translate onto the page. The mountain air of the Hollywood Hills flowed through their skin and into their brains, as they pressed their friendship into every page of the script. 

Maybe it was the renewal of a more domestic closeness, which they’d lost since they’d stopped dorming together, that made them write it. Maybe that was what made them write themselves slipping into a box, huddled together in an enclosed space. Or what made them write themselves falling asleep against each other’s shoulders in the front seat of a car. 

Whatever the reason it didn’t make it feel any less right when they wrote it, and it still felt right when it came to life. They waited for what seemed like years with their heads on each other’s shoulders, holding it for the shot until they were cued to move on. When they finally did Rhett rose a little slower than he should have given a phone was supposed to be ringing, while Link hardly had to act as he pretended to wake. He could sleep easily as it was, and the hazy restfulness he’d felt on Rhett’s large, soft, shoulder, was hard to shake even if he hadn’t actually slept. 

It wasn’t until they reviewed the footage on the monitor afterward that they’d realized what they wrote it for. They’d wrote it for them. 

* * *

Four: _New York_

* * *

They were drunk more from the high of Fallon than they were from the celebratory drinks they’d shared with Stevie at the bar downstairs. There was still so much to do but all they could see was the infectious, joyful glow emanating in waves off each other, the excitement of the night still shining in each other’s faces. Work and responsibility were all waiting on the other side of Christmas - but on this night they let themselves enjoy the here and now, losing themselves in the music and the cool drinks sliding down their throats. 

Christy and Jessie, after proclaiming repeatedly how proud they were of them, had had to fly home ahead of them, with the plan of getting the kids settled before the whirlwind of Christmas. Of course, now that they had money, Rhett still had a room of his own, but he still found himself knocking on Link’s door and heading inside. 

They laughed and shared stories for a few more hours before they finally fell asleep on the bed, still dressed in their suits with a blanket half over them. The only reason Rhett even knew Link had fallen asleep first was because he remembered the goofy smile still stretched across his friend’s face, caught by the moon and the lights of New York on the streets below. Feeling affection and nostalgia coursing through him, he ran a hand through Link’s hair and pressed his lips to his forehead.

“Night brother.” He whispered, before succumbing to sleep too. 

* * *

Five: _The other side of Christmas._

* * *

It wasn’t until the glow had dispersed and they were boarding a flight to North Carolina that they realized just how close the other side of Christmas actually was. It came and went too quickly for their liking, and soon people and meetings began to blurr together. Stevie, the crew and their wives became their life lines, reeling them back in when they felt like they were drowning at the studio. 

Even then they could hardly keep afloat, never knowing where to start with the numerous projects - whether it be the introduction of their new merch brand or the new channel that was due for its debut. Tonight it had Rhett wincing and rubbing at the back of his neck, leaning back into the support of his chair to ease it a little. Link was reduced to staring blankly at the page on his screen - looking like he was already sleeping. The sight made up Rhett’s mind for him. 

“Link? You wanna call it a night?” Rhett asked, already rolling his chair away from his desk. 

“We can’t dude, we -” Link cut himself off with a yawn, then rolled his eyes when Rhett raised an eyebrow at him. “Fine, but we’re using the loft. You’re too big to share that couch with every time.”

In response, Rhett offered a hand and pulled Link up out of his chair, before turning the way up the stairs.

He had already lit a strong candle they kept in the corner of the room by the time Link had trudged up the stairs behind him. The candle quickly filled the air with a familiar scent of vanilla, bourbon, cognac, tobacco, and patchouli, giving the whole room a warm and soothing vibe. It was one of the only scents they could find that didn’t give Link a headache, and the brunette breathed it in thankfully as soon as he stepped inside. “Mmmm it’s nice.” He said sleepily.

He walked automatically over to the loft’s bed and practically fell into it, making the mattress bounce a little on impact. Rhett watched in amazement as Link’s eyes closed almost the second his head hit the pillow, already close to sleep. He just managed to roll over to make room for Rhett before his chest started to rise and fall slowly, quickly heading to sleep. It was all the encouragement Rhett need to slip in beside him, joining him in the bed. 

They gave the candle a little while to burn and drift them off before Rhett’s eyelids grew heavy and he had to lean over and blow it out. 

“Night Link.” He mumbled.

“Night Rhett.” Link breathed.

Then they thought no more till morning.


End file.
